Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-06-09
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SEN Committed Suicide.
MouNT HOLLY, N. j., June 1.-The ev-
idence on the part of the state came to q
close In the Peak murder trial OF Mount
Holly to-day. Barclay w. Peak took the
stand in his own defence. He said that he
kept company with Katie Anderson, the
murdered girl, and visited her often. but
was not married to her and his talk about
having been married was all o joke. He
had been instructing her how to shoot
with O revolver ON the Sunday be-
fore the fatal Monday, and she
took the revolver from him and
carried il home with her. He did not
shoot her, nor did he meet her that night.
he was home all the evening. 1.-The
pistol that has been found is mine, but
this is the first time have seen it since
that Sunday night when she took it from
me. l always liked her, but / never
wanted to marry her. never asked her
to have me or threatened TO kill her il she
refused Mira. Nelson Carly, a neiPhbor
of Peaks, testified to seeing him By the
well in the rear Of his house on the night
of the murder about O'Clock. She also
aaid that she Raw Katie kiss Peak alter she
was carried to the house.
MOUNT HOLLY, N, j., juno Sat the opon-
ing of the Peak murder trial this morning
three witnesses testified that Anurew
Brewer, a witness for the state, who testl-
fed that he saw Bart Peak In company with
Katie Anderson on the night OF the
murder, was not person OF good reputa-
ton for veracity, and that his word could
not be relied on.
William Prickett, q friend OF Peaks, tes-
titled that on one occasion, before CHRIST
mas, when Katie Anderson was spending
Oh.
by Bart's sister Ii she was coming 20 take
dinner with them. Katie then answered:
"If am living; ard II l amt, will make
the devil good Christmas present." On
cross-examination this witness became very
much mixed, and towards the last admitted
that he could not remember Just what Katie
said In reference to taking Christmas din
ner at Peaks. He would not deny that he
had said he would swear to anything to
save Bart Peaks life.
The most important witness for the de-
fence was Amanda Peak. aged IA yeare, the
defendants sister, who told a comparatively
straight story In regard to the whereabtu-s
OF the defendant on the night Of the s,,oot-
ing. She also testified that she heard Katie
Anderson say she would take CHI isimas
dinner with her II she was alive and II not,
she would rake tine devil good Christians
present. On the Sunday bsfore the shoot
Ing, witness said she walked home with
Katie Anderson, ami he latter complained
OF palms IN her iI.gti iLl,i siiid shu felt dizzy
Once Katie fell jnwli, aun, getting up, sat
ON IL stump aud =; IL 10 witness: u gness l
will t4Lhe Paris green iiud Kill myself md
get out OF II Az Witness At,lSed her what
5he waliitwisn du that tul, but she did not
answer. Then she asked witness II Bart
had been tight Saturday night; II he had he
would he sorry for II some day 1t would all
come home to him. Witness answered that
Burt was not drunk. AS to the target
shooting by Bart and Katie on Sunday, wit
ness was positive that Katie took the pistol
home with her. Witness swore that on the
night Of the shooting Bart was home all the
evening, playing with musie-box and re-
pairing clock. He went to bed about .
O'Clock, and was only out for minute or
two during the evening to get glass Of
water.
Katie Peak, a sister OF the defendant, said
she saw Katie Anderson swallow n quantity
OF Paris green few weeks before the
shooting, saying at the time that 1t wouldn't
hurt her, as she often took 1t.
Mrs. Rebecca Peak, the aged mother of
the prisoner, testified that after Katie was
shot an examination was made Of her room,
and that witness and Mrs. O0lkett found q
quantity of Paris green In It. This testi-
mony was offered to substantiate the theory
of the dofence that Katie Anderson com
mitted suicide.
MOUNT Holly, N. J. June Further
testimony was offered by the defence in
the Peak murder trial here to-day to
prove that tho wound in Katie AIderaon's
brain might have been self. inflicted, even
if there were no marks of powder or
burning Of the skin visible.
DIR. Formal, the coroner's physician,
of Philadelphia, testified that there were
number of instances of suicide by
shooting in which there were no powder
marks on the skin, or smuggling of the
hair about the wound. II had been shown
by repeated tests that pistol fired at n
distance of five inches would not leave
marks of powder ON the skin.
Mrs. Peak, the mother of Barclay Peak,
testified that she had heard Katie Ander-
son say IL she died before Christmas she
would "make the devil good Christmas
dinner.n
Joseph Peak, the defendants father,
said that tBart" was not out of the house
on the night of the shooting and went to
bed before o'clock.
Mrs. Mcintosh Of Mount Holly, testi-
| fed that Mrs. Brewer told her she was
going to swear Peaks life away, az he
might kill her husband next. This closed
the testimony for the defence.
| Squire John T. Naylor was recalled by
the prosecution and testified that when
s'Bart" was arrested he denied being out
of the house on Monday night aad Geld
he went to bed at 7,30 O'Clock. At the
hearing Amanda Peak made no allusion
to Katie Anderson's having threatened to
take Paris green and put herself ont Of
the way.
MT. HOLLY, N. j., June I'm the
Peak murder trial to-day William Whit
craft testified in rebnttal that William
Prickitt told him he ''oughtn't to have
given Barclay Peak away about that
| pistol" B. Stratton Oolkitt, with whom
Katie Anderson lived, said he bought the
Paris green last summer for potato-bugs
and did not use all of it. The remainder
he put in can upstairs near Katie's
room. Witness never saw her have it.
Katie never INDUCED in profanity or
vulgarity, and never had pistol in her
4 possession, as far as the witness KIN W.
1 The case was then closed on both sides